Vein stripper



Jan. 29, 1957 E. SANDBORN 2,779,334

VEIN STRIPPER Filed Aug. 23, 1954 INVENTO EDMO/V D 5 BORN ATT'YS.

nited States 2 Claims, (Cl. 128-303) This invention relates to a device for stripping varicose veins and in particular to such a device having a removable stripping head.

Vein stripping, as a method of treating varicose veins has gained favour during the past years over the injection, and other types of treatment. The advantages of stripping over these other treatments are numerous and are well known to those skilled in the art. Various types of strippers have been developed and used, each of which suffers from serious disadvantages. which was in common use for some time consisted of a flexible shaft having notches or grooves aboutone end. An incision was. made in the vein at each end of the portion to be stripped and the shaft was inserted therein. The vein was then secured to the shaft by means of tying cords about the vein and shaft so that the cords lay in the grooves. The shaft was then withdrawn and the vein stripped from the surrounding tissue. This method had the disadvantage that the vein often turned inside out and was subject to tearing and, therefore, only partial removal was often obtained.

Another method which was used for some time utilized a stripper having an introducing tip of relatively small diameter at one end and a stripping head of relatively larger diameter at the other. The stripper was introduced into the vein with the introducing tip and the device drawn through the vein in'the same direction bringing the vein with it as it was withdrawn. This method was not satisfactory as it has been found that in, for example, stripping veins in the leg it is desirable to carry out the stripping operation from the upper portion of the leg towards the foot. The method just described therefore, made it necessary to introduce the stripper from the upper portion of the leg. This made it difficult to ensure that the stripper would follow the main vein and would not enter smaller branches as it was passed through the vein.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a vein stripper which may be inserted from the lower portion of the leg and then withdrawn by reversing the direction.

It is a further object of this invention to provide such a vein stripperhaving a permanentlymounted introducing tip and a removable stripping head which may be secured about the introducing tip.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a vein stripper having a permanently mountedintroducing tip and a removable stripping head, said stripping head being capable of simple and rapid application.

Briefly the present invention contemplates the provision of a vein stripper having aflexible shaft with a relatively small diameter introducing tip secured to at least one end. A stripping head is provided being adapted to be secured about the introducing tip. Door means are provided in the stripping head to admit the introducing tip to a cavity and shoulders are provided in the cavity to co-operate with shoulders on the introducing tip to retain the tip within the cavity when the door means are closed.

' atnt A type of stripper Referring now to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment and in which like reference numerals denote like parts in the various figures:

Fig. 1 is a general view of a vein stripper showing the introducing tips at each end thereof;

Fig. 2 is a cross-section view of the stripping head with the door means closed;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the stripping head shown in Figure 2, with the door means open;

Fig. 4 is a cross-section view of the stripping head shown in Figure 2 with the flexible shaft and introducing tip in position within the cavity;

Fig. 5 is a view taken at 90 to the view of the stripping head shown in Figure 2;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the stripping head shown in Figure 2 in crossnsection along lines 6-6 of Figure 2; and

Fig. 7 is a plan view of a second embodiment of the present invention.

Referring now to Figure 1 it will be seen that the device comprises a flexible shaft 1h having introducing tips 11 secured to either end thereof. It will be appreciated that the invention also contemplates the provision of only one stripping head on the cable 16) with means being provided at the other end to attach a handle or other suitable gripping means. The cable or shaft 10 is, in the preferred embodiment, made from a number of steel Wires which may be wound or braided together in any of the known manners. The tips 12!. may be secured thereto by means of welding, soldering, clamping or other suitable methods.

The size of the tips 11 may vary and it is contemplated also by this invention to provide a flexible shaft 10 having tips 11 of different sizes at each end so that stripping heads of different sizes may be applied thereto. The size of the introducing tip 11 as illustrated is not to be considered as limiting either in itself or in relation to the size of the stripping head as illustrated.

it is also contemplated by this invention to use the conventional stripper shown as Figure 7 which has a relatively small introducing tip 11a, a flexible shaft 10a and a relatively large stripping head 12a all permanently secured together. In this case the stripping head 12 shown in Figures 2 to 6 will be placed about the introducing tip 11a as in the preferred embodiment of this invention and the integral stripping head 12a used as a handle with which to grasp the stripper to withdraw it from a vein.

Referring now to Figures 2 to 6 inclusive in which is illustrated the stripping head, it will be seen that the head 12 is substantially dome shaped having a flat base 13 and curved sidewalls 14 terminating in tip 15. A door 21 is provided in the head 12 by making two parallel cuts 16 and 17 therein spaced apart and lying parallel to the axis of the head. These cuts extend from the periphery of the head to the centre thereof where they are joined by a cut it? lying along a diameter of the head. The section thus removed is pivoted by means of a pin 19 so that the section or door 21 may rotate thereabout as shown in Figure 3. An internal cavity 20 is provided in the head and is composed of two sections 20a and 20b, section 20a lying in the main portion of the head and section 29b lying in the door portion 21. The cavity 20 con forms in shape and size to introducing tip 11 and is provided with shoulders 22 and 23 to co-operate with shoulders 22a and 23:! on the introducing tip. Leading from the shoulder end of cavity 20 to the base 13 of the stripping head is a passage 24 to accommodate the hexible shaft lit when the introducing tip 11 is in position in the cavity.

In operation the device is used as follows: Assuming that the patient has been prepared for the operation, and that an incision has been made at each end of that porawaasa a2 tion of the vein to be stripped, the introducing tip ill of the stripper is inserted in the vein. By pushing on the flexible shaft 10 which is sufliciently rigid to force the introducing tip 11 along the vein and yet sufficiently flexible to follow the tortuous passage of the vein, the tip 11 is passed from one incision along the vein until it appears at the other incision. At this point the stripping head 12 is applied to the introducing tip it by open ing the door 21, passing the tip lit through the opening 25 in base 13 made by opening the door and seating it in the cavity 20. The door 21 is then closed and the shoulders 22a and 23a of the introducing tip Iii bear against the shoulders 22 and 23 of the cavity 26. The stripper is then ready to be Withdrawn from the vein in the direction opposite to that in which it Was inserted. It will be appreciated that the pressure of shoulders 22a and 23a on shoulders 22 and 23 in the stripping head will tend to retain the door 21 in the closed position.

The bottom face 13 of the stripping head Wiil engage the vein and will cause it to be removed from the surrounding tissue as the stripper is Withdrawn. The fact that the diameter of the face 13 is larger than the diameter of the vein will ensure that the vein Will not turn inside out and it Will therefore be less subject to tearing. The

edges 26 of the'stripping head 12 are relatively sharp and will thus assist inrupturing any tributary veins from the main vein as it is being Withdrawn. As the vein is Withdrawn it will tend to pile up on the flexible shaft 18' adjacent the face 13 of the stripping head lid and when the vein is completely Withdrawn, may be easily removed therefrom by opening the door 21, removing the introii ducing tip 11 from the cavity 20 and sliding the vein off the shaft it over the introducing tip 11.

From the above description it will be seen that a vein stripper has been provided which does not suffer from any of the disadvantages of the prior art cited above and which has the additional advantages of being simple and rapid in operation: by virtue of the removable head, it is adapted to be used With various sizes of stripping heads.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A vein stripper comprising a flexible shaft having in introducing tip at at least one end thereof, a removable stripping head comprising a substantially dome shaped member having an internal cavity conforming in size and shape to the introducing tip, door means in said stripping head to admit said introducing tip to said cavity, the ciosing of said door means engaging said introducing tip to securely retain it in said stripping head.

2. A vein stripper comprising a flexible shaft, an introducing tip at at least one-end thereof, said tip' having a shoulder at the end thereof adjacent the flexible shaft, a removable stripping head comprising a substantially dome shaped member having an internal cavity conforming in shape and size to the introducing tip, door means in said stripping head to admit said introducing tip to said cavity, the closing of said door means engaging shoulders in said cavity With the said shoulder on said introducing tip to securely retain said introducing tip in said cavity in said stripping head.

References Cited in the file of this patent A Simplified Vein Stripper, by Alexander Webb. (Surgery, February 1951: pp. 276277.) 

